Examining mobility, independence, motor function, participation, and parental stress in a school-aged Turkish cerebral palsy population: a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: This study aimed to describe a school-aged Turkish cerebral palsy (CP) population in terms of gross motor function, mobility, independence, and participation, and to investigate parental stress. METHODS: Mobility (Functional Mobility Scale (FMS)), independence (Barthel Index (BI)), motor function (Gross Motor Function Measurement (GMFM)), functional classification (Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS)), participation (Pediatric Outcome Data Collection Instrument (PODCI)), and parents' stress (Parental Stress Scale (PSS)) of 100 school-aged children with CP aged 5-15 years old were evaluated. School-related difficulties and restrictions were also questioned. RESULTS: Of the 100 children with GMFCS levels I-V, almost half had independent mobility on level or all surfaces according to the FMS, with a relatively high GMFM score (72.8%), and above average BI (12 from 20), and PODCI Global Functioning (62.8%) scores. Strong-to-very strong correlations were determined between all test batteries. A mean score of 42.3 ± 9.92 out of 90 was obtained for parental stress with a weak correlation to the GMFCS and the child's mobility distance according to family (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Turkish school-aged children with CP displayed functional abilities that are above average besides experiencing restrictions in the school environment. Parents' view on the physical condition of the school varied depending on functional and mobility levels of their children.